IT sector bears brunt of Zimbabwe economic crisis

by DANAI MWARUMBA
HARARE, (CAJ News) – DOMAIN website hosting companies have increased their charges following an acute shortage of foreign currency in Zimbabwe.

The companies are charging more than three times the standard prices in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

Domain websites in neighbouring countries cost from over $4 (R59) per month but those in Zimbabwe are now charging $15 (R220) for hosting 2GB SSD storage and 5GB bandwidth.

Several companies offering such highly sought hosting services, web hosting, domain registration, email hosting, server hosting and Cloud server hosting in Zimbabwe this week announced they had reviewed their prices.

Webdev.co.zw, leading website hosting company, announced its charges have increased to cushion the company from biting costs of doing business in the country.

“As a result of the sharp increase to our local cost base and challenges accessing sufficient foreign currency to settle our recurrent international obligations, we are revising our pricing. This is necessary to maintain our service standards while remaining viable as a business,” Webdev announced.

Webhost.co.zw, Netcom.zw and Flaxyweb.co.zw were also reviewing their pricing.

Local website developers offering website hosting, domains, cloud server and email hosting bemoaned such untimely increases.

“Such increases are not welcome at all considering many entrepreneurs seeking to do business, especially upcoming website developers and innovators heavily rely on these services that have astronomically increased,” said Dzikamai Mushunje, an upcoming developer in Harare.

He said the increases would make it difficult for young developers graduating from tertiary institutions.

“Their (developers) dreams are shattered before hatching,” Mushunje said.

Entrepreneurs decried the hikes as unattainable.

“Such price increases are prohibitive to entrepreneurs,” Shadreck Madyira said.

– CAJ News

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